Ethics – Library of Professional Coachinghttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com
Coaching Articles and ResourcesWed, 13 Dec 2017 20:45:17 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.152727354Ethics in Actionhttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-in-action/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-in-action/#respondFri, 17 Nov 2017 19:36:50 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13404What would the coaching profession look like if there were no trust between the coach and client and coach to coach? I suspect there wouldn’t be much of an industry. All of us individually have an impact on the “trust factor” every day we practice coaching and interact with our colleagues. It is because of the thoughtful practice of coaching and the coaching organizations that have helped to build the industry that we have some common standards that, in turn, generate the trust that sustain a coaching marketplace that hires and deploys coaches.

As a member of the Independent Review Board of the International Coach Federation, one of us (our guest editor, Sandi Stewart) has reviewed numerous cases of breaches of the ethics code. More often than not, these breaches aren’t due to mal-intent on the part of coaches, but rather to a lack of understanding of good coaching practices and poor communication with clients and other coaches.

This issue of The Future of Coaching is titled: “Ethics in Action.” It focuses on some of the key things to know about ethics in coaching. It provides steps you can take to build a consciously ethical practice. Two categories of articles appear here (along with a third section that provides valuable coaching resources):

How do we think about ethics as coaches?

What are some of the tools that build ethics into our coaching practice?

As you read the articles of this issue, please take some time to reflect on your own practice – what ethical challenges do you face or might you face in the future?

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-in-action/feed/013404Ethics in a Historical View & A Framework for Ethical Decision Makinghttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-in-a-historical-view-a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-in-a-historical-view-a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/#respondFri, 17 Nov 2017 19:28:50 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13462We can look back to the early theories of ethics from Socrates and later Kant and others having to do with general moral and ethical behaviours for humans. And then as business and professions began to evolve there was reference to ethic practice of trades, and of professional societies as they developed (accountants, lawyers, etc). Indeed, much of coaching today has borrowed from the concept of Socratic dialogue, but remember, he was sentenced to death by poison essentially for upsetting the community by teaching young persons to ask a lot of questions of themselves and their parents. You can imagine how that went over in early Greek society.

Nevertheless, we can look to Socrates as an early coach of sorts and later on Aristotle as well. Both men set the stage for all ethical guidelines that evolved in professions over centuries (See Ethical Maturity in the Helping Professions, Carroll and Shaw)

Five Sources of Ethical Standards

The Utilitarian Approach
Some ethicists emphasize that the ethical action is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, to put it another way, produces the greatest balance of good over harm. The ethical corporate action, then, is the one that produces the greatest good and does the least harm for all who are affected-customers, employees, shareholders, the community, and the environment. Ethical warfare balances the good achieved in ending terrorism with the harm done to all parties through death, injuries, and destruction. The utilitarian approach deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done.

You are a relatively new coach who for the past year has regularly taken free online courses that claim to address professional coaching skills and provide participant group discussions about how best to coach clients. You have completed college, having earned a degree in English with a minor in television and film. You were drawn to coaching because of your fascination with people and what makes them tick. You began actually coaching people in a one-to-one format about six months ago, and you started to charge money for your services last month. Other than service work as a restaurant host (you tallied the nightly dinner cash receipts and distributed the pool of tips to the other service staff) you have no other business experience.

You keep handwritten notes of your client sessions in a spiral-bound notebook that you keep in the bookshelf behind your desk for easy access. As you have gained more clients, you’ve begun noticing how hard it is to keep straight what each client expects to accomplish. On occasion, you’ve even accidentally written notes about one client in the section reserved for someone else.

At first glance, what concerns you and/or about what do you need more information?

What guidelines from a recognizable Coaching code of Ethics might apply?

Imagine that this new coach under the described circumstances has approached you. What recommendations would you make to assist him or her in becoming a more competent, ethical coach?

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/case-studies-and-questions-to-ask-yourself/feed/013446Ethics Codes & the Ethical Review Processhttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-codes-the-ethical-review-process/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-codes-the-ethical-review-process/#respondFri, 17 Nov 2017 16:01:35 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13426Coaches know that without client trust the coaching relationship is hobbled if not ineffective. Client trust comes as a result of not just one coach but also an industry of coaches that follow ethical principles in their business practices and in their client interactions. We each believe we know what seems “right” in a coaching practice and relationship, but when every coach thoughtfully follows a set of broadly accepted ethical guidelines, it creates clarity for both individual and organizational clients about what to expect in the coaching relationship, thus ensuring an effective and healthy coaching marketplace.

With the emergence of coaching membership organizations in the 1990’s, the need for an ethics code became apparent. Today, as a member of a coach membership organization like the International Coach Federation (ICF), you agree to serve under the ICF Ethics Code in order to maintain a credential. ICF leadership and coach volunteers have spent uncounted hours developing the ICF Ethics Code and addressing breaches of the code through the code ICF Review Process. The ICF code and process review have set a standard for many other organizations that have followed, such as the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and the Association for Coaching (AC). Additionally, the ICF has actively engaged in defending the coaching profession from regulation when legislators have challenged its non-licensed status, threatening to create governmental licensing procedures. ICF has defended the coaching industry over the years by presenting their ICF Ethics Code and the Review Process to preserve coaching as a self-policing industry worldwide. To date, no state in the U.S. regulates the coaching industry, despite continual efforts to do so.

Over the years the ICF has continuously improved the ethics code and ICF Review Process in order to respond to changes in the understanding of ethics, increased global exposure of the coaching practice, and learning from experiences in applying the review process.

Agreed upon standards of what is desirable and undesirable; of right and wrong conduct; of what is considered by that group as good and bad behaviour of a person, group or entity that is a member of the group, and may include defined bases for discipline, including exclusion.(i)

While a list of acceptable behaviors to follow as coaches has been developed, the ICF and other organizations must also decide how they are deployed. Most importantly, what is the purpose of these standards when we think about building an ethical community of coaches? Do we use them as a measuring stick to assess how “good” a coach is and thereby punishing the “bad”? Do we use them to create uniformity in perception of right and wrong? For the ICF, it was decided that the ethics code and the review process should reflect understanding and education. Most breaches of the ethics code are about a lack of understanding rather than an intention to harm. So, importantly, education—not punishment—is the goal of the ethics ICF Review Process. The revocation of a credential as punishment is used as a last resort. However, there are instances when the revocation of the coach credential or the accreditation of a coach training institution is deemed appropriate.

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/ethics-codes-the-ethical-review-process/feed/013426The Coaching Tool Box: Linked Resources Regarding Ethical Practices in Coachinghttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/the-coaching-tool-box-linked-resources-regarding-ethical-practices-in-coaching/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/the-coaching-tool-box-linked-resources-regarding-ethical-practices-in-coaching/#respondWed, 15 Nov 2017 15:38:59 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13416Here are some handy resources to help incorporate ethics in your practice. These are not exhaustive and they do require an ICF membership to access. Please send us any helpful resources not listed here!

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/the-coaching-tool-box-linked-resources-regarding-ethical-practices-in-coaching/feed/013416Agreements, Terms and Conditions and Why They Matter to You and Your Business!https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/agreements-terms-and-conditions-and-why-they-matter-to-you-and-your-business/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/agreements-terms-and-conditions-and-why-they-matter-to-you-and-your-business/#respondMon, 06 Nov 2017 19:47:35 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13374Doing business is about agreeing what you are going to do for your customer in exchange for their payment. An agreement is any understanding or arrangement reached between two or more parties. A contract is a specific type of agreement that, by its terms and elements, is legally binding and enforceable in a court of law. So why do we need contracts and agreements? Back in the “olden days,” there were few written business contracts. Many business and personal deals were done with a handshake. And, if there was a problem, the two parties could take the issue to a court, who would hear it even if the contract was not put into writing.

Today, although a verbal contract is still legal, most contracts are in writing. Contracts are very detailed these days, and every effort is made to make all possibilities clear. In addition to being clear, a contract must meet certain criteria to make sure it can be enforceable. A contract that is enforceable can be taken to court for a decision on a disputed item. If a contract does not have the essential ingredients, it is not enforceable.

Most contracts never see a courtroom and they could easily be verbal unless there is a specific reason for the contract to be in writing. But when something goes wrong, a written contract protects both parties. If one party to a valid (enforceable) contract believes the other party has broken the contract (the legal term is “breached”) the party being harmed can bring a lawsuit against the party who it believes has breached the contact.

Examples of Ethical Challenges in Contracting

The major challenges I have seen within the Independent Ethical Review Board during the 10+ years in which I continue to serve stem from contracting or lack of clear contracting.

The Coach with Multiple Hats

Some coaches play multiple roles. They are consultants, therapists, spiritual counselors and trainers as well as coaches. The lack of agreements or contracting around these multiple roles can cause ethical challenges for coaches. For example a coach was a spiritual counselor and engaged clients as a coach and then conducted spiritual counseling. The coach was associated with a religious institution, but employed independently as a coach. We can see the muddy waters here for the contracting party – coach or religious institution? As well as for the content of the relationship – counseling and advising or partnering in a coaching process?

The Bartering Coach

Some coaches my barter or trade coaching for other services. This can be a great way to play in the informal economy, however without clear agreements issues can occur. For example a coach bartered coaching hours for artwork. There was no clear agreement on “how much coaching” was equivalent to “what quality of artwork.” In this case there was resentment by both parties as the metrics for a fair trade were not agreed upon up front.

Coaching is a relatively young profession that anyone can be part of with little or no training. For those of us who have a recognized coaching certification and accreditation from a known and respected professional organization, this can be frustrating and challenging. I often wonder if everyone who calls themselves a coach is ethical at all times in their practice. If not, these actions can reflect adversely on the entire profession. More, many coaches work in isolation. How do we know if, in fact, our interactions and our relationships are ethical at all times? What can we be doing to ensure we always walk the walk of an ethical practice?

A Definition of Ethics

These are some of the questions that drew me to this book. The authors do an excellent job of asking us to become aware of our values, personal and professional, how we incorporate them into our lives, and how they can influence our coaching practice. As coaches, we aspire to live our values at all times and support our clients in exploring theirs, creating a greater awareness so they can align their life actions and decisions with them. The authors believe our values support our ethical practices and state:

Ethics, therefore, refer to a person’s decisions and actions, as dictated by their beliefs and values. Put more simply, ethics is the practice that determines what is good or bad, right or wrong (de Jong, 2010). In comparison to values, ethics do not merely relate to ‘our general notions of what is important, but to actual rules, codes, and principles of conduct’ (Beckett and Maynard, 2013: 20). In other words, ethics can be seen as the practical application of values. In coaching, according to de Jong (2010), ethical practices determine the virtue of helping others, focusing on the needs and interests of the client, honouring trust and confidentiality, and promoting individual autonomy.”(p. 31)

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/the-book-shelf-values-and-ethics-in-coaching/feed/013364When Ethics Could Collide: Nine Practiceshttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/when-ethics-could-collide-nine-practices/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/when-ethics-could-collide-nine-practices/#respondMon, 06 Nov 2017 16:14:25 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13338When a client has different cultural influencers at play in their life compared to the coach, how does the coach support the client while holding the cultural influencers they value as a citizen of a specific country, their professional code of practice AND those of the client? For example, if a coach who lives in a country where women are not considered equal is working with a female client who lives in a country where women are considered equal and their professional code of practice recognizes gender equality, how can they ensure they support the client in a way that allows them to be whole, feel equal and able to explore all possibilities that could be available to them? Alternatively, the coach believes in and supports gender equality while the client lives in a country where gender equality is not recognized. How does the coach deal with these fundamental differences in cultural and ethical practice?

Recently I was in conversation with a group of coaches from different countries. Someone in the US had just completed a talk at a conference that she was paid to speak at. She shared that she had decided at the last minute to take her book to sell at the end of it. During the talk she decided she had an opportunity to sell her book, and possibly connect with a few people who would like to be her clients so she decided to also offer free coaching sessions to people who would like to participate. I asked her if she had discussed this with the conference organizer and she said no, that was not necessary. Marketing was expected of speakers at conferences. I said that as far as I knew, in Canada, this would be considered a conflict of interest and ethically not appropriate. The person from India agreed with me while the one from Turkey did not see anything wrong with this. Here we were, four people all speaking the same language and yet we had 2 different interpretations of one act. We all adhere to the same professional Code of Ethics and yet based on cultural influencers we embrace from our countries, the interpretation of ethical practices can be different.

This experience led me to think about the future of coaching. Coaching has become a global profession where many coaches work in countries they have never traveled to, countries they can point to on a map, countries with customs, culture and ethical practices unknown to them. How does this lack of knowledge and understanding influence the coaching relationship? How does a coach from a different country understand from a cultural and thus ethical perspective how they ensure they are supportive of their client(s) at all times?

]]>https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/when-ethics-could-collide-nine-practices/feed/013338Seeking Ethical Maturity Through Curiosity And Continuous Learninghttps://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/seeking-ethical-maturity-through-curiosity-and-continuous-learning/
https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/concepts/ethics/seeking-ethical-maturity-through-curiosity-and-continuous-learning/#respondMon, 06 Nov 2017 15:01:46 +0000https://libraryofprofessionalcoaching.com/?p=13349As professional coaches, our role with clients is to create a safe place in which they can explore and discover what works best for them. We partner with them to create a space for them to reflect and learn. Coaches are all about learning for their clients. Does the learning stop there? I would suggest the answer is no. We also continue our learning journey that includes learning about ourselves. So frequently I hear coaches talk about how much they learn about themselves from every client they work with. What a privileged place to be, continually learning and being more of who we are. I know I learn something new about myself from every conversation I have as a coach. These opportunities help me to become more of who I am, more of who I want to be.

How do we continue to learn from every coaching interaction? Reflecting back on my last coaching conversation (and notes I have taken) helps me prepare for the next call, ensuring I stay present and totally focused on being open and non-judging. Following a call, I always take a few minutes and reflect back on the call, recalling how I did what I did, how the client responded and what I might have done differently to create even greater learning moments for the client.

Reflection occurs when we look back on what has happened in experiences we have had, situations we have been in, words we have said and ways we respond so that we can develop a greater understanding of what happened, how we showed up. It is a tool that helps us learn from our experience so we can better understand how we show up and why. (Lordanou et al 2017)

I believe reflection helps me become a better coach and a better human being, one who is living my values (both personal and professional) more of the time. If we considers our values to be connected to our ethical practice (lordanou et al 2017) then a definition of ethical maturity could be :

the reflective, rational, emotional and intuitive capacity to decide actions are right and wrong, or good and better; the resilience and courage to implement those decisions; the willingness to be accountable for ethical decisions made (public or private); and the ability to learn from and live with the experience.” (M. Carroll and E. Shaw, pp. 30)

Where do we begin looking in order to address the entanglement of world issues and controversies that vitally touch all human beings on planet Earth? We find ourselves deluged by daily news that provides evidence for how incredibly out of balance we humans are. What restores balance to humans? Our challenge is to provide ourselves with an ontological tool, one that is based on our being, which we can utilize to restore balance in any personal or professional circumstance.

Our tendency is to look in three distinct directions whenever we want to resolve an issue or crises. Exploring the atomic micro-world of gluons and mesons has given us many useful technologies, but it is not likely that it will give us the balance in our humanity that we are looking for. Certainly microwave ovens and micro-technology are useful, at least for those of us in the world who have electric wall outlets. But atomic research has also produced weapons that have contributed to our lives being more out of balance. We can be grateful that we have learned that what seems so small and insignificant can be quite awesome and valuable. This applies to seven billion humans.

We also tend to look in the opposite direction, the immense macro-world of our galactic universe. The few astronauts who traveled even slightly into our relatively tiny solar system came back having experienced what became called the overview effect. They looked back at our beautiful planet and although lost for words, said this: we are all one; we are all in this together; war and strife solve nothing. The challenge is to get leaders to recognize this. We could offer all world leaders a ride onto a spaceship promising them a return ticket ONLY if they made authentic promises for real solutions. This could work, except we have a budgetary and transportation crises that prevents it. Realistically, leaving the Earth is not going to save us in the near future either.

But we still have our human sized meso-world of seven billion neighbors. How is balance possible here? Our social systems and governments are primarily invested in self-preservation and dominance, and do not share enough common principles for getting along with one another. They cannot even agree on whether, or when, war and violence are justified. When political leaders are out of balance, citizens tend to follow. Certainly some of our nations have made inroads towards opening the doors of wellbeing, freedom, and diversity, but the jury is still out on others.

What are we humans to do?

Faith is a guide for the majority of people on planet earth. There are so many beautiful and valuable teachings! So what about God? Oops. Here we have to be careful because of the different spokespersons who insist that we first have to use the proper name. But which one: God, Allah, the Divine, Jehovah, Wakan Tanka, Yahweh, Brahman, and many others? Again, getting humans to agree is a problem. History is against us. There are so many people of faith that continue to behave quite intolerantly and violently with one another. When religious leaders are out of balance, their faithful tend to follow. Certainly religions have given us moments of courage, community, and hope, but the jury is still out on others.

We find ourselves spinning our wheels. We know that our human world is out of balance, and that the consequences are both evident and immediate.